.36 Seneca today

[bronko220002]

Had a chance to get out to shoot the new to me Seneca .36 cal today. It was a little breezy but not too bad. As recommended I shot loads of 20, 25, and 30 gr of Goex FFFg at 25 yards. I wasn't at the range and just went out on my ATV behind my house so I didn't have the best of rest but made do. Both the pillow ticking and the drill cloth are very tight with the .350" ball. I may have to try some with cotton linen. I say that because after the shoot today I fired off a dozen or so rounds with Frontier Muzzleloading's Shoot Out to polish the bore a little and the balls with the linen loaded snug but not overly tight. The 25 gr group didn't do too good and the 1st group of 20 gr and the group of 30 gr weren't bad. The 2nd group of 20 grs was good but I think I pulled that shot high right. The 2 shots in red on the middle dot were off had with whatever preloaded charges I had left. The one in the bull felt really good but I hurried the 2nd high shot. That little Seneca is harder to hold steady. I'm used to the "heavier out front rifles." I think next time out I'm going to even try 15 grs. If I can't get it to shoot the PRBs then I will be shooting the MaxiBalls out of it. I also think I'm going to change that front sight from the square partridge style to a bead front.

 

[bronko220002]

I looked thru my parts box and found a front bead sight the same height and after a bit of filing I was able to fit it into the dovetail replacing the square partridge style sight. That sight covered a lot of area even at 25 yards. I think now I'll be able to draw a finer bead (pun) on the target!

 

[dcrummett]

Had a chance to get out to shoot the new to me Seneca .36 cal today. It was a little breezy but not too bad. As recommended I shot loads of 20, 25, and 30 gr of Goex FFFg at 25 yards. I wasn't at the range and just went out on my ATV behind my house so I didn't have the best of rest but made do. Both the pillow ticking and the drill cloth are very tight with the .350" ball. I may have to try some with cotton linen. I say that because after the shoot today I fired off a dozen or so rounds with Frontier Muzzleloading's Shoot Out to polish the bore a little and the balls with the linen loaded snug but not overly tight. The 25 gr group didn't do too good and the 1st group of 20 gr and the group of 30 gr weren't bad. The 2nd group of 20 grs was good but I think I pulled that shot high right. The 2 shots in red on the middle dot were off had with whatever preloaded charges I had left. The one in the bull felt really good but I hurried the 2nd high shot. That little Seneca is harder to hold steady. I'm used to the "heavier out front rifles." I think next time out I'm going to even try 15 grs. If I can't get it to shoot the PRBs then I will be shooting the MaxiBalls out of it. I also think I'm going to change that front sight from the square partridge style to a bead front.View attachment 228108

Looks like the 30 gr. load could be your go-to... just adjust to move the group and work with all the "little things" (as you're doing with the front sight. Probably will turn out to be a squirrel getter.

 

[11th corps]

My Dad had a Seneca in .36. It was a light handy rifle.

 

[TDM]

Those are sweet rifles. Good shooting!

 

[hanshi]

Good luck working up your prb load and tightening those groups. My .36 SMR is the only .36 I've ever owned. That little rifle is truly accurate. I've owned only one other rifle that challenged the .36 for accuracy, and that was a Traditions .32 Crockett rifle! The .36 is my most used rifle. It's accuracy and light weight (6 lbs 4 oz) and 38" barrel make it my favorite "rambling around" flintlock.

 

[Gtrubicon]

If your rifle is like mine, a 36 Cherokee. That 20g group is gonna shine. 20 g is my low end accuracy load. 40 grain is my high end accuracy load. Anything in between wasn’t as accurate as either of my loads.

 

[ETipp]

Hope you can nail down an accurate load for it. At least it has a straight rear stock.

As I'm sure you already know, you're going to have to find some sort of good rest to figure out the most accurate load. Then, if you plan on using it for a hunting rifle, its game on getting used to shooting it accurately from different positions. I went through this with my Crockett Squirrel rifle. About drove me crazy deciphering it. Come to find out, I cannot shoot that thing consistently off a bench to save my life. Much of it due to the drop of the rear stock. I do pretty darn well with it now when standing and shooting off of the side of a tree or post. Also took me a while to figure out that even while shooting in the woods while standing with a rest, I am not accurate if I have my hunting day pack on my back. This is due to the shoulder straps interfering with the crescent style butt plate and the position it allows the stock-to-arm fit.

The other problem child I encountered was the factory iron sights. Did away with those, installed a peep and a different style front bead and my accuracy increased big time.

So yeah, sometimes it takes some patience, determination, and some experimenting to figure these things out. But IMO, if one is fairly certain the ML is up to the task, then the rest is up to us to figure it out. I'm glad I stuck with my Crockett Squirrel rifle long enough to figure it out and I hope you can do the same with your Cherokee. My Crockett Squirrel rife now provides me with much enjoyment and rekindled my interest in squirrel hunting. Truly fulfilling and a real challenge.

Good luck to you.